Samuel c



S. C. FREDSON.

IOY. APPLICATION EILED N0v.16, 1917.

Patented July 29, 1919.

7' lA/VE/VTOI? Samuel afi'redsmz ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT ormon.

SAM'UEL IREDSON, KENOSHA, WISCONSIN.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, SAMUEL G.-FREDSON, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Kenosha, in the county of Kenosha and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Toys, of which the following is a specification. V My invention relates to improvements in toys arraiigements herein described and claimed. An object of my invention is to provide a building toy consisting essentially of a'strip or strips of 'aterial having slotscut therein at various angles andin variouspositions, so that the strips may be fitted together in said slots and oonstruct the representation of the framework of a building.

Other objects and advantages Wlll appear I in the following specification, reference be; ing had to the accompanying drawings, in

- which i two of the strips Figure '1 is aside elevation of one of the strips showing the slots cut at various angles and located in various positions. a

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view showing fitted together at right angles to each other. l

1 Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view showing how the strips may be fitted together at angles with respect to. each other f Fig. 1 is a detail perspectiveview showing another method of fitting the strips together.

Fig 5 is a detail plan view 'showing a slightly modified-arrangement. j Fig. 6 is adetail. perspective-view show ing how the form illustrated in='Fig."5 may be bent into theshape of a channel. p

i Fig. 7 is a detail view ofone of the keys; Fig. 8 is a detailiview showing howthe strips may belapped. .I; 1. g"

Fig. 9 is a detail view ofa key used in connection; with the arrangementiin Fig. 8,

and i 1 Fig. 10 is a view of a slightly modified form whereincurved sections are employed. In carrying out my invention, I provide a strip 1 of flexiblematerialfwhich has a plu rality of-slots 2 cut in' from one edge thereof. The slots 2 are e'qual'in depth to exactly onehalf the-width of the strip 1. The obvious purpose of this precision is, to obtain the flush fitting'of a pair'of the strips when pressed upon each other as shown in Fig. 2.

The slots 2 are equally spaced apart'and oppositely inclined slots 3 and 1 are cut from 1 the same .edge'of the strip 1, in the material Specification of Letters Patent.

and it consists in the constructions,and

such anianner slots 3 coincide. A key 9 shown in Fig. 9 is I Patented July 29, 1919.

Application filed November 16, 1917. Serial No. 202,359.

between the slots 2. The slots 3 and 1 slope in opposite directions and at angles of 15 with respect to the adjacent edge of the strip 1. The slots 3 and 1 are equal in depth to one-half the width of the strip 1, similarly as are the slots 2. The oppositely sloping slots 3 and 4: do not come exactly to a point where they merge with the adjacent edge of the strip 1, but are so cut into the strip that a short intermediateedge 5 is left.

Slots 6 are cut at equal distances apart in parallel relationship to the edges of the strip 1, substantially as shown in Fig. 1. Theslots 6 are shown directly beneath the oppositely sloping slots 3 ande. The slots 6 may if desired, be cut in other relationship. For instance, if it be so desired, they may be cut beneath the straight slots 2. In either event, the slots 6 correspond in area to the cross sectional area of one of the strips 1, so that a strip maybe thrust through the slots 6 as shown at the left of Fig. 4:.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 5 although slightly different from that shown in Fig. 1, is substantially the same. Here the strip 1 is made considerably broader and has the arrangement of the slots cut in from each edge. The strip 1 inFig. 5 is creased or scored at 7 so that the edges of the strip may be folded up into the shape of a channel, substantially as shown in Fig. 6. The surface of the strip 1 in Fig. 5 may also be printed as indicated at 8. This printing may represent brick lining,'or the outlines of stones set in mortar. The strip 1 in Fig. 5 may also be printedto represent structural steel, so that when the form shown in Fig. 5 is employed in construction, the framework of the building represented may appear as being made of structural steel.

The forms of the invention described thus far provide for the edgewise fitting of one strip upon the other. The strips may be laid flat together to'obtain' other forms of construction. This arrangement is illus t-ratedin'Fig. '8. Here it willfbe seen that apair of the strips 1.. are laid together in that a pair ofthe inclined employed to lock the two strips illustrated in Fig. 8 together. The key 9 has a slot 10 which is twiceas wide as the slots in the strip 1 ordinarily are. The purpose of this extra wide slot 10 is, to permit the fitting of the key Fig. 8. The slot 10 is fitted upon the solid 9over the superposedstrips 1 in portions of the strips 1 at the base of the slots 3 in Fig. 8, and thus locks these two strips together.

A key 11 illustrated in Fig. 7 is used 111 other connections. For instance, it may be desirable to lock a pair or more of the strips 1 edge to edge, longitudinally. The key 11 is then simply slipped over the open portion of one of the horizontal slots 6 as inclicated at 6 in Figs. 1 and 2, and the corresponding end of another strip is similarly slipped over the other end of the key 11. The two strips are then keyed together firmly enough for all practical purposes.

The keys 11 shown in Fig. 7 are made as they arerequired, by simply cutting off sections of one of the strips. Such a section is indicated by the dot and dash line 12 in Fig. 1. Another form of key may be made by cutting a portion oil? at the dot and dash line 13 in Fig. 1. The keysmay be cut off in various shapes and sizes to fulfil any particular requirement met in putting up a structure by the use of the strips 1, and the requirement itself will suggest the size and shape of the key. The strips 1 may be manufactured and sold in uniform length if desired. The material of which the strips are made may be sold in rolls and the strips cut therefrom later. The strips are made of any suitable material which is flexible to a certain degree and yet strong enough to withstand considerable rough usage. The

material may consist of paste-board, fiber; metal, etc. One advantage of the slotted strips 1 as a toy'is, that the strips can-be readily fitted together in almost any position very quickly. Each strip includes all the parts that are required to fit a structure together. That is to say, if the keys become lost, more can be made by cutting off sections from one of the strips. The difficulty of keeping a great number ofbolts or other fastening devices together, is therefore not experienced, I

The form of the invention shown'in Fig. 10 is slightly different from the rest,- inthatthe sections14: are formed inquarter' or half curves. If the sections are made inquarter curve, they may be keyed together as-at 15 to form half curves as illustrated, by the use of one of the'keys 11; In'this form of the invention, the various slots are cut on the external periphery of the sections.-

The manner'of using the toyis thought to be fully understood. When a plurality of the sections are fitted together at right angles with respect to each other as in Fig. 2,

the perpendicular slots2 are employed; As previously stated, these slots 2 extend through one-half the'width of-the strips l; The solid portion adjacent the slot 2 ofone of the. strips, therefore occupies the-slot of the other strip, so that the opposite edges of the companion strip lie flush together This would not be the case if the slots 2 were less than half the Width of the strip in depth.

The, strips'l ma be fitted together at angles to each other, as shown in Fig. 3. Here,

the purpose of the short intermediate section 5 willbe apparent. A number of the strips 1 having been fitted into the inclined slots 3a-a-nd 1 as shown in Fig. 3, the outer edges 1 will be seen to be spaced substantially the same distance apart astheinner edges 1 are spaced apart. By providingthe short intermediate portion 5, the strips 1 fitted together as shown in Fig. 3, will not over-lap each other. binations which may be built up by the use of the diiferently inclined slots and keys are quite numerous, and Will readily suggest themselves to one using the toy. As indicated by the foregoing, it willbe un derstoodthat the essence of the invention lies in the peculiar formation of the various slots and the combinations of the slots in the edges of a body of material. Fig. 5 sug: gests that'these slot arrangements may be formed on the periphery of any shaped body as for instance, a relatively broad blank, oval, round, triangular, and other shaped blanks. These variously shaped bodies may then be fastened together according to the particular requirement, by keys" 9 and 1-1 or portions of these keys;

While the construction and arrangementof the device as illustrated in the accompanying drawing is that of a' generallypreferred' form, obviously modifications and changes may be made. Without departing from the spirit" of the invention or theiscope of the"claims. I

Iclaimr 1. A'structural toy comprising a strip of material having a plurality of perpendicular slots cut in one edge, angularly disposed slots cut in at one edge of the strip, and other slots cut edgesthereof. I

2. A structural toy comprising a strip having aplurality ofsets' of slots cut an edge of "the: strip, theslots of each set'being in similar positions, but adj acent ones of the slots being'atangleswitli'eaehother.

' 3: A structural toy comprising a' strip of flexible material having a plurality of slots cut therein "at the edges, certain ones of the slots being disposed at angles with'respect to eachother and withthe "edges of the strip.

4. A structural toy comprising a "strip of flexible material having a"plura'lity of sets of slots cut therein, tlie'slotsof one'of the sets being perpendicular to one edgerof the strip,the slots of another set being cut at right angles with'respect to each other and withrespect tosaid edge of the strip, and the slots of the other'set being cut para'llelto the edges of thestrip. r

5. A structural toy comprising a flexible the use of the into thestrip parallel to the i The structural comstrip of severable material having a plurality of sets of slots, the slots of one of the sets being cut in from one edge through one-half the width of the strip and perpendicular to the edge, the slots of the other sets being cut in from the same edge and consisting of pairs, the slots of a pair extending at an angle to each other and cut in from the same edge of the strip to a distance equal to one-half the Width of the strip, the slots of the third set being cut into the strip beneath the oppositely extending slots and in parallelism with the edges of the strip.

6. A structural toy comprising a strip of material including a plurality of sets of slots cut into one edge in divergent directions, the outlets of the slots atthe edge of the strip being spaced apart to leave an intermediate portion, whereby over-lapping of the edges of other strips when fitting into said diverging slots, is prevented.

' A structural toy comprising a strip of flexible and severable material including a plurality of sets of slots, one set consisting of slots cut from one edge in diverging directions, the other set consisting of slots cut into the body of the strip parallel to the edges of the strip and in a central position with respect to the diverging slots, portions of said strip providing keys when severed,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for on the medial line between the aforesaid sets of slots.

8. A structural toy comprising a strip of bendable material having a plurality of sets of slots cut into the opposite edges, and scored lines on one surface of said strip at the base of each of the sets of slots, to permit bending the edges to form a channel.

9. A structural toy comprising a strip of bendable material having a plurality of sets of slots cut into the opposite edges, and scored lines on one surface of said strip at the base of each of the sets of slots, to permit bending the edges to form a channel, one of the surfaces of said strips being printed.

10, A structural toy comprising a strip of material having a plurality of sets of slots cut into one edge, said strip being adapted to be cut at predetermined places to form keys for entering certain ones of the slots to join other strips together.

11. In a device as described, the combination with a body having a plurality of sets of slots on an edge, adapted to receive other strips in forming a structure, of a key consisting of a portion cut from the body, and adapted to be fitted in any one of said slots, to provide an attachment for another body.

SAMUEL G. FREDSON.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents,

Washington, D. G. 

